The invention relates to an arrangement for installing electric cables in the floor region of an aircraft, wherein longitudinal guide elements are provided that form cable channels and essentially extend in the longitudinal direction of the aircraft parallel to seat rails that are arranged in the aircraft floor and serve for the mechanical attachment of seat legs, as well as to a method for manufacturing the arrangement.
An arrangement of the initially cited type is known from German Patent Application No. DE 102 48 241 A1, wherein lateral guide elements that also form cable channels are provided in addition to longitudinal guide elements. The longitudinal and lateral guide elements are respectively composed of lower parts and upper parts, wherein the lower parts are mounted on the aircraft floor and the upper parts are arranged on the lower parts. A cable junction is provided on at least one intersecting point of longitudinal and lateral guide elements and forms a cable installation path with a longitudinal and a lateral guide element. All guide elements are arranged above the aircraft floor such that tripping hazards for aircraft passengers may be created.
Furthermore, US Patent Publication No. 2002/0144835 A1 describes a protected cable installation path in the region of a seat rail of an aircraft, wherein the cable installation takes place within a cable guide in the form of a longitudinal guide element. This elongate guide element also consists of an upper part and a bottom part that is mounted above the floor of the aircraft, namely between the outer cabin wall and the seats situated directly adjacent to this wall. Consequently, a tripping hazard for aircraft passengers does not exist in the described application; however, the utilization of this guide element in seat areas that lie in the cabin interior may also result in tripping hazards. Furthermore the known cable installation path may entail an inflexible change of the layout in the cabin, an inferior accessibility to the installed electric lines, as well as a high expenditure for the preparation of construction documents that are dependent on the layout and for the incorporation of the technology into the aircraft cabin. There may also be optical and technical design disadvantages because the cable guide elements are visible to the passengers.